Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery

Sweetshrub

Spotswood Greenery

Calycanthus floridus

size #3 Pot

Fall shipping: arrives dormant

Leaves may be turning color or already dropped, leaving bare stems.
Plant on arrival and water well. Roots keep growing until the ground freezes.
New leaves come out in spring.

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Price

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North American Native

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Pairs well with

Sweetshrub

Spotswood Greenery

Sweetshrub is grown for a fragrance that does not smell like anything else in the garden. Calycanthus floridus carries dark maroon flowers in late spring, strap-petaled and unusual looking, and the scent has been described as strawberry, melon, and spice depending on who is describing it and which plant they are standing next to. Fragrance varies considerably between seedlings, which is worth knowing before you buy. It grows 6 to 9 feet tall and wide in full sun to part shade, hardy from Zone 4 through Zone 9, filling out over three or four seasons.

Bloom starts in May and continues sporadically into midsummer, with the heaviest flush early. The glossy dark green leaves are aromatic too, releasing a camphor scent when crushed, and they turn clear yellow in fall.

Woody seed capsules follow the flowers and hang on the bare branches through winter.

Sweetshrub grows wild in woodland understory and along stream banks, so it handles shade and moist soil better than most flowering shrubs, and it adapts to clay. It widens into a broad clump over time, which suits a shrub border or a woodland edge better than a formal bed. Deer leave it alone.

Size at Maturity

Height 6'- 9' Spread 6'- 9'

Growing Zone

USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8

Lowest Temperatures -30°F to -20°F

Light Requirements

Part shade - 4 to 6 hours of direct sun per day, mostly before midday

Wildlife Benefits

Supports Bees
Attracts Butterflies

Native Range

AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MS, NC, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV (Note: Northern populations often garden escapes/introduced)

Special Conditions

Deer Resistant
Moderate Salt Tolerance

Fragrant

Seasons of Interest

Spring
Summer
Fall

How to Plant

Give your new plant the best start possible. Click here for general planting instructions.

Grow With Confidence

We stand behind every plant we ship. Click here to view our warranty.

Thank you so

Thank you so much!

Found exactly what I was looking

Found exactly what I was looking for

I ordered 2 native plants both arrived on time and with one exception- not under control of

I ordered 2 native plants both arrived on time and with one exception- not under control of vendor- as expected- I’ll check how to deal with this one plant abs and hope it’s resolved and resilient- decent value otherwise and keep it native. -
W R Leigh in NC

Great

Great service

So far

So far, healthy plant.

Received two ornamental flowering almonds

Received two ornamental flowering almonds. They were bigger than expected beautiful lush green and I was totally impressed. I wanted to get a heads up with planting them this August and get them growing so I could enjoy them in the spring. Thank you so much. Absolutely stunning.

I am so happy I found this shop!

I am so happy I found this shop! Every step of the buying experience has been smooth from the very first order. I am a repeat customer and will definitely continue to support this business!

I've received four roses from Spotswood Greenery and each won has been a big

I've received four roses from Spotswood Greenery and each won has been a big, healthy, beautiful plant. Shipping is super quick and prices are reasonable. I'm super satisfied and will be ordering many more!

Exceptional Roses

EXCEPTIONAL ROSES!

Recently, I received a #3 pot Wollerton Old Hall Rose, a #3 Alnwick Rose, and a #2 pot Sweet Mademoiselle rose from Spotswood Greenery. I could not be more pleased and grateful. All plants are in perfect condition. Each is supported by incredibly healthy roots, several Charles Atlas-like stems, and beautiful foliage. Packaging was very secure. Clearly done with care! Shipping was quite prompt. Now, pricing! I've grown roses for 40 of my 67 years. In that time, it's easy for me to say that Spotswood has exceeded every other source without question. I found three roses in stock I had wanted! The quality is champion! The prices are very good, excellent when one buys at the free shipping level! Worth every penny! Thank you, every one, on the Spotswood Greenery Team!
Brian Lowry
Scottsburg, Indiana

Great selection

Great selection, good prices and fast servuce

Great!

Great!

nice to talk to a person who answers the phone

nice to talk to a person who answers the phone and cares and is american

I just received my hypericum red fame and was

I just received my hypericum red fame and was amazed how big it was and just as pretty as my established one I have had a couple years. So happy because the last one I ordered online from another nursery came as a little stub compared to this! I will definitely use Spotswood Greenery for now on!

Wonderful

Wonderful

Quick shipping

Bought a David Austin rose; it arrived quickly however it had some damage upon arrival. Ended up pruning and defoliating a good bit to get rid of the broken cane and pest damage, but I expect it to be a beautiful bush down the road.

Lovely plants

Lovely plants, get with your shipper.

Comfortable ordering process

The information and accuracy of the description of the ordered plants was great. The ability to search for specific plants was nice. Could search for terms not pre-defined and still came up with relevant specimens.

The online ordering process went smoothly.

Wonderful nursery will buy from

Wonderful nursery will buy from again!!!

I ordered ~8 David Austin roses from here

I ordered ~8 David Austin roses from here. They were equal in quality to the ones at my local nurseries (better than some), and $10 cheaper. Established roots, full of buds that have become gorgeous blooms. Will absolutely order from Spotswood again!

Fast shipping and great

Fast shipping and great, full plants. I prefer shipping here vs David Austin directly because of how big and healthy roses arrive.

Beautiful shrub I’ve been looking for and found

Beautiful shrub I’ve been looking for and found it here very pleased

Superb source for DA roses

Superb source for DA roses. Very full and healthy plants. Very secure shipping. Most highly recommended!

Lovely

Lovely choices!

Speedy detailed and efficient

Speedy detailed and efficient.

I would love to share my experience

I would love to share my experience. My Eden’s were packed so carefully and arrived in perfect condition.Shipped quickly and are just beautiful.

This rose bush is beautiful full of blooms this is the first time I received anything like it

This rose bush is beautiful full of blooms this is the first time I received anything like it, I will definitely buy fro this nursery again ☺️

Perfectly packaged roses for shipping

Perfectly packaged roses for shipping. Arrived healthy & thriving even after a 2 day weather delay!Extremely happy with my purchase from Spotswood💜

Buy Again

All beautiful healthy plants that arrived quickly and stable.

A beautiful healthy rose was sent to me!

A beautiful, healthy rose. The packaging was so well done that the plant traveled cross country unstressed, moist even got new leaves in its travels. Very healthy and beautiful David Austin roses and a great selection-packed well and and shipped fast and sometimes even free! Will shop with you again soon

Planting and Care Guide

Planting Tips

Plant in spring or fall in moist, well-drained soil in partial shade, spacing 6–8 feet apart. Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) is a native shrub with unusual, strap-petaled, wine-red flowers and extraordinary spicy-fruity fragrance from late spring through summer. It adapts to a range of soils from moist to average. Dig the planting hole generously, amend with compost, and water well.

Care Tips

Prune right after flowering to shape if needed. Sweetshrub can spread by suckers — remove them to maintain a tidy specimen or allow them to naturalize. The intensely fragrant flowers are the primary ornamental feature, so plant where the scent can be appreciated near a path or seating area. Fertilize lightly in spring. Fall foliage turns clear yellow. A wonderful, fragrant native shrub for shaded garden settings.

Sweetshrub

Pairs well with

Size at Maturity

Growing Zone

Light Requirements

Wildlife Benefits

Native Range

Special Conditions

Seasons of Interest

How to Plant

Grow With Confidence

Planting and Care Guide

Planting Tips

Care Tips

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